All Alone
by workingminds
Summary: Crisscolfer. Chris wanted to be alone, he was exhausted and emotionally drained. Darren however, had other plans to cheer up the other man. Friendship and cuddles.


My best friend on tumblr prompted me with _crisscolfer cuddles _and I had to comply, although it turned out to be harder than I thought. This is by no means my best work, but the more I edited the more I wanted to re-write the whole thing so you can have this now before I delete it all.

I own nothing other than the plot and word formation.

Feel free to prompt me on tumblr 'thmsgrntgstn'.

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Chris liked his own company, he always had. He liked relaxing, he liked coming home from a long gruelling day on set and crashing out and he liked pottering around his apartment on the rare day off he was graced with. Sure, he loved his friends and socialising with them, because he was so unbearably grateful to have been blessed with such friendships, he adored every single one of them, but when he spent hours on end around people in the studio, he liked to be alone for a while.

It was ironic really, he'd spent his youth wishing for company, hating the quietness and relishing in the noise once he returned home from school because his sister was wailing over not being allowed to watch the television. But now he was content, he was educated in an active and lively life so he didn't bother with the deathly silence.

On this particular day he wanted to be alone more than ever, his ears were ringing, his throat hurt from having to cry on demand and he felt emotionally drained from his final scene of the day. He was desperate to stand in the middle of his living room and scream and cry and bawl his eyes out until he was calm. This was the hard part of acting, the emotions he felt for certain concepts and storylines, it was rewarding to watch once the episode was edited and perfected, but Chris was still left feeling broken and raw. Gazing at his Golden Globe told him it was worth it though, he was living the dream and proving to himself that he was worthy of greatness.

As soon as he turned the corner to his apartment, he noticed a worn out, curly haired Darren, slumped against his door, clutching a bottle of Diet Coke and no doubt, cold take out. It brought a quaint smile to Chris's face, adoring the fact that the other man had come to his apartment with food, knowing what Chris was like after a long day. He also loved seeing this side of Darren, the usually hyperactive twenty-five year old asleep outside his door, waiting for him. He'd be lying if he said it didn't make his heart flutter a little. Chris would also be lying if he said he didn't take a sneaky picture of him.

Deciding he couldn't stand there all night, Chris crouched beside the sleeping man and tapped him lightly on the shoulder to rouse him.

"Darren, I'm home." he flinched in disturbance and slowly came around, eyelashes fanning across his red tinted olive cheeks as he blinked his eyes back into focus.

He smiled when his eyes settled on the younger man and raised the bag of food in amusement. 'I brought Chinese."

Chris couldn't suppress a melodious laugh, shaking his head at the man who looked no more than a boy at present.

"Okay, so it may be a little cold and your coke may be a little warm." Darren frowned, feeling a little down that his nice gesture had back fired because a) Chris hadn't arrived home before he showed up, and b) he was too tired to stay awake.

"But its the thought that counts, right?"

"I was hoping you'd see it that way." Darren grinned.

"We should probably go inside and heat up the food." Chris extended his hand which Darren grasped firmly and pulled himself up.

As the pair were eating the remnants of their piping hot takeaway, Chris had to admit to himself that he was glad Darren had invited himself round. He didn't realise it at first, but he really did need this company, he needed someone to relax with and talk to and just have someone to listen to him.

"I really appreciate this Darren." Chris spoke once there was a pause in conversation. Darren quirked his obnoxiously triangular eyebrows, confused as to why Chris had said that, he didn't even realise what he had done. That was so Darren, he did such selfless things without even realising. "I didn't realise just how much I needed someone right now, you showed up with a sweet gesture and you've made me feel a lot better, so thank you."

Darren reached across the table and took the younger man's hand in his, "I knew you'd need this despite what you tell yourself." Chris simply smiled, still continuing to be amazed that there were such people in the world like Darren, the fact someone like him actually existed in this unbearably messed up world was just mindboggling but incredibly rewarding. Darren took note of the fact that Chris had finished eating shortly after himself. "How about we relax on the sofa and watch whatever film you still have in the player?"

"Sounds perfect."

Darren lay back on the sofa cushions and grinned expectantly at Chris, crooking his finger at him to beckon him over. It was still hard for Chris to believe that he could have a close male friend like Darren, who was admittedly straight, and it not be awkward. He was liked and respected for who he was, the other man didn't judge him, he just treated him the way he should be treated. Chris shook his head from that thought, happy with the way their friendship had played out, it's really all he'd ever wanted without even realising it. He pushed the power button on the player and grabbed the remote before setting himself of the sofa, fidgeting to try and make himself as comfortable as possible with the little space he had seeing as Darren was spread the length of it and lying like a starfish.

"Hey, come up here." The curly haired man pouted, tugging on Chris' arm, hoping to pull him closer and get the taller man to lay on his chest. He seemed to take the hint, a little confused because they didn't cuddle all that much, but feeling too content to even argue or question. Darren's arms instinctively snaked around the other man's back and waist, holding him close like a teddy bear. Darren was thankful to have a friend like Chris, sure he had plenty of close friends, especially back home and there was of course the whole Starkid group, but he missed them terribly and having someone like Chris really softened the blow of not seeing them day to day. He was an instinctively affectionate person, with a constant need for contact, and Chris, well Christ was definitely no exception to the rule. Chris may have boundary issues sometimes but he trusted Darren with his life and he adored the affection and attention he received from him, that could potentially be the reason why he snuggled a little closer to Darren, feeling his eyelids droop. He was so unbearably tired but the last thing he wanted to do was sleep when he had company, that wasn't very fair. But instead of fighting with himself, he let his eyes drop shut and nestled his face in the crook of the older man's neck.

Darren knew it was inevitable that Chris would fall asleep on him, even before the opening of the film, but he didn't take it to heart. He was just glad to be there to comfort Chris, make him smile when he knew he'd want to sob his heart out after the intense scenes he'd filmed today. He wouldn't admit, but he had asked to leave half an hour earlier, once he'd finished filming for the day, so he could grab food for Chris. They were close and he wanted to make sure he was okay, make sure he was looking after himself properly; it's what friends were for. So as he pondered over the thoughts of how precious their relationship was and how it had developed over the past two years, he trailed his fingers through the young man's chestnut hair and smiled. Darren wanted to be there for Chris no matter what, he'd do anything to see him smile.


End file.
